Even in college and the pros, summer basketball can be an interesting dynamic. Most figure that party lines with AAU teams end when the ball bounces going into their senior year of high school, but that isn’t quite the case. Many guys head back to their hometowns to train for their next year of college or the league, but are still drawn to the party lines of their colleges or agencies. This leads to having boatloads of talent all in the same city training in different gyms when they could be easily be getting that work with the very best. Chris Thomas is starting to bridge that gap in Indianapolis.

Passing through NapTown, I immediately hit up “CT” to see what guys he was going to have in the gym. Having trained the likes of Gary Harris, Glenn Robinson III, and RJ Hunter, it was more often than not that he was going to have some pros in the building. The Nike Elite Basketball trainer who does the LeBron and Kobe Camps in China gets the bulk of the city’s finest young players in the gym together on the regular, whether they’re in high school, college, or the league.

“It’s all about world domination,” Thomas explained. “You might not get to that level [the NBA], but the benefit is that this is a way to come in and play against pros without any obligation at all.”

The format of Thomas’ open gym is quite intriguing as well. Players start off playing one-on-one, two-on-two, etc before concluding the night with four-on-four full court play. Spacing was emphasized as were making sure ball screens were set on each possession to simulate the NBA game. Players only used the NBA three point line and proper rotations on D were constantly stressed. More than an open run, it seemed as if the players were merely practicing the principles that were being reinforced.

“That’s what we do all week. Real basketball is not that hard, but you just know how to play it,” he explained. “San Antonio and Atlanta both got 60-plus wins this year playing real basketball.”

With legit talent and even more legit disciplines being exhibited on the hardwood, it was simply a great night of hoops. Here are a few of the guys who caught our eye:

Gary Harris, 6-4, SG, Denver Nuggets

With most rookies picked in the back half of the first round spend some time in the D-League, the Denver Nuggets took a different approach with Gary Harris and it looks like it’s paying off. He didn’t get much burn early in the year, but as the year went on and the squad struggled, saw his PT skyrocket. Gary looked much more confident playing with the ball in his hands, made some great reads out of pick and roll situations, and finished above the rim. Despite the fact that we were still sitting in the summer, the 20-year old looked like he could play an NBA game today. With a new coaching staff in order in Denver, there should be plenty of chances for Gary to show his stuff in his sophomore campaign.

Trevon Bluiett, 6-5, SG, Xavier, Sophomore

With Matt Stainbrook having graduated, Xavier will be led by 6-foot-9 beast Jalen Reynolds and Trevon Bluiett. A straight up scoring machine, Bluiett can simply score the ball much more efficiently than the vast majority of wings at the college level. The Indy native was sick creating off of the bounce, effortlessly creating space with a series of jab moves. His mid-range game was automatic and transitioning to the NBA line is going to be no problem whatsoever. The sophomore is going to need to continue to improve on D, but as far as getting buckets is concerned, he should be right there amongst the Big East leaders this season.

Marquis Teague, 6-2, PG, Free Agent

Things haven’t necessarily gone as planned for Marquis Teague, but he’s definitely been putting in the work to change the future. After bouncing to the league following Kentucky’s national championship season, he was a first round pick in the NBA Draft, only to see himself play sparingly over his two years with the Nets and the Bulls. Still with the same devastating speed and change of pace that got him to the league, Marquis showed off a lot more confidence in his J and finished creatively at the rim with both hands. At just 22 years old, he is still younger than many rooks in this year’s Draft and will surely get another opportunity to prove his talents in the league.

Kellen Dunham, 6-5, SG, Butler, Senior

One of the best shooters in the college game, Kellen Dunham showed that he can do a lot more than just scorch the nets from long range. He was great coming off of pin-downs, hitting two dribble pull-ups, and was even quite surprising creating for himself off of the bounce. The Butler senior hopes to make it into the league as a specialist, but adjusting to the NBA three point line will be no problem whatsoever with the type of range that he owns.

Julian Mavunga, 6-8, PF, Overseas pro

While plenty of the other guys were much more well known amongst American basketball circles, it was the overseas vet Mavunga that straight dominated the comp. He played the game at his own pace, stretched the D with his ability to shoot it from three, and gave everyone a post footwork clinic when he got it on the block. Having won a title last year in Kosovo and having a number of workouts with the Pacers, Julian appears destined to take his talents back across the water, albeit with a hefty raise.

Gavin Schilling, 6-8, PF, Michigan State, Sophomore

Schilling looked like he was destined for a breakout sophomore campaign in East Lansing. With a body like Blake Griffin and some serious bounce to match. He was a role player on last year’s Spartans, but is surely destined for a bigger role this year. He is impossible to stop going to the rim at full speed, is a beast on the glass, and brings more skills to the table than you’d think out of a player his stature. Coming off of a strong trip to Italy with MSU, Gavin appears destined to back it up his performance in the Big Ten.

The Nuggets pulled out their first win since they beat the Pistons in their season opener, and they will need to continue playing balanced like they did Friday night if they want to find success this season. Even though no one topped 20 points for Denver, Ty Lawson (11 points, 10 assists) ran the offense as seven Nuggets scored in double figures and two others reached seven points. They might not have a go-to guy, but they consistently had five guys on the floor who could put the ball in the basket. Unfortunately for the Pacers, they’re still struggling to find five healthy guys to get in the game. A.J. Price (14 points, 4 assists) led Indiana in scoring, but his team simply lacked any sort of offensive continuity. The Pacers only had 57 points with a few minutes left in the third quarter while trailing the Nuggets by 33. Denver rookie Gary Harris (13 points, 2 steals, 6-10 from the field) only made one of his five three-point attempts but looked fairly comfortable in his NBA debut, scoring his 13 points in only 18 minutes. Oh, and he also had the highlight dunk of the night.

Magic 101 (4-6), Bucks 85 (4-5)

With Victor Oladipo (13 points, 25 minutes) making his season debut and Tobias Harris (26 points, 10 rebounds) having one of his best game of the young season,the Magic showed a flash of what they could be with some time to develop. After the Bucks jumped out to an early 19-6 first quarter lead behind nine points from Brandon Knight (24 points, 5 assists, 6 rebounds), Orlando started feeding Nikola Vucevic (18 points, 9 rebounds) down low and used a 19-11 run to get back into the game before the end of the quarter. The Magic outscored the Bucks in the final three quarter in the process of winning the fourth of their last six games.

Hawks 114 (5-3), Heat 103 (5-4)

Al Horford (19 points, 6 rebounds, 8-10 from the field) scored the first seven points of the game, and the Hawks never looked back, leading wire-to-wire even though the Heat made it close at times. With no Dwyane Wade (hamstring), Miami received big games from Chris Bosh (20 points, 8 rebounds), Mario Chalmers (23 points, 11 assists), Luol Deng (19 points, 3-5 on 3-pointers) and Shawne Williams (21 points, 5-6 on 3-pointers)…but not much from anyone else. The Hawks, on the other hand, had eight players in double-digits as only two players who got on the court failed to do so. Horford and Paul Millsap (19 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals) controlled the interior while Jeff Teague (16 points, 9 assists) continues to run coach Mike Budenholzer’s offense effectively. Part of that scheme includes knocking down three-pointers, and Kyle Korver (12 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds) made four of them as he is now shooting a blistering 57.7 percent from deep this season. Thabo Sefolosha (12 points, 6 rebounds, 3 blocks) got off to a slow start with his new Atlanta team but has now reached double-digits in consecutive games. Bosh and the Heat just couldn’t get enough stops, allowing the Hawks to shoot 56.0% from the field.

Cavaliers 122 (4-3), Celtics 121 (3-5)

The King wanted this one. Badly. Through the first two quarters, neither team really gained control as they were knotted at 59 each by halftime. (There wasn’t much defense from either side.) LeBron James (41 points, 7 assists, 16-27 from the field) poured in 22 points through the first 24 minutes as it became clear he was on a mission; he remained aggressive for almost the entire night. The third quarter, though, was all Celtics as they outscored the Cavs 42-25. Jared Sullinger (19 points, 10 rebounds) scored 11 of his 19 points in the third, living in the paint for most of his offense. During a 14-6 run to start the final quarter, Kyrie Irving (27 points, 5 assists, 3 steals) started the final 12 minutes with a bang by making three 3-pointers and then three free throws after being fouled on a trey. After having three straight double-doubles to start the season, Kevin Love (12 points, 15 rebounds) notched his first double-double in the past four games. Rajon Rondo (6 points, 16 assists, 8 rebounds, 3 steals) always brings his best when he takes on LeBron, and he was tossing dimes throughout the night, keeping his team in the game. After a Rondo layup with 2:29 left in regulation, the Celtics held onto a 118-113 lead and forced head coach David Blatt to call a timeout. Whether or not Blatt told him to do so, James then took his play to that other gear that defenses can’t control. The King scored seven straight points–including a powerful and-one–to give his Cavs a 120-118 lead with 1:11 left in the game. On the final possession, Rondo tried to do it himself, but with Shawn Marion (6 points, 4 rebounds) accepting the task of stopping the Boston point guard, Rondo wasn’t able to get off a shot. The Cavaliers have now won three straight games and are above .500 for the first time this season.

Jazz 102 (4-6), Knicks 100 (2-8)

The Jazz have had an interesting start to their season with a lot of close wins and losses. After the Jazz took down the Cavs earlier in November thanks to a step back buzzer-beater from their starting small forward, their starting point guard decided to join in on the late-game antics. Before this game approached its waning moments, it was all about Carmelo Anthony (46 points, 7 rebounds), who put on a dazzling show by incessantly attacking the paint. With 5:01 remaining in the game, the Jazz led 87-81 after a Derrick Favors (21 points, 12 rebounds) dunk. Gordon Hayward (33 points, 6 assists, 4 steals) continues to look like he’s worth the pay-day, reaching the 30-point plateau for the second time in his past three games. Melo, though, went into scoring mode by pouring in 17 of his team’s final 19 points in just under five minutes. The Knicks were playing without Iman Shumpert, who went down in the opening minute with a bruised right hip. But this night belonged to second-year guard Trey Burke (13 points, 8 assists, 5-9 from the field). Up to this point in his young career, he has been criticized for his low shooting percentage and inability to get his teammates involved. Friday night, Burke kept his shot count to a reasonable amount and distributed the ball as well. But with 2.3 seconds remaining and the game tied 100-100 after a Melo 3-pointer, Burke knew his team needed a big shot. He received the inbounds pass, took a dribble and nailed a step back jumper at the buzzer to give the Jazz their first win at Madison Square Garden since 2009. The Knicks have now lost seven games in a row and have their second worst 10-game start in franchise history.

Rockets 88 (8-1), 76ers 87 (0-9)

The Rockets started this game slow after traveling back from Mexico City and looked sluggish up until James Harden (35 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds, 3 steals, 5 turnovers) saved them in the closing seconds. The shooting guard knocked down two free throws with 35.5 seconds and then hit an off-balance layup with 9.0 seconds remaining to turn a three-point deficit into a one-point lead. He got plenty of help from Dwight Howard (21 points, 16 rebounds, 7 blocks, 6 turnovers), who controlled the interior on both ends of the floor. Sixers point guard Tony Wroten (19 points, 8 assists) led the team in scoring again while Michael Carter-Williams (13 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds, 5 turnovers) continues to get back into NBA shape. Philadelphia actually held Houston to only 37.2 percent shooting from the field but allowed them to get to the line (23-37 on free throws). In search of their first win of the season, the Sixers will face the Spurs on Monday and Celtics on Wednesday.

Pelicans 139 (5-3), Timberwolves 91 (2-6)

A night after the Mavs earned a franchise record for largest margin of victory in obliterating the Sixers, the Pelicans set their own franchise record for margin of victory as they handed out a similar pounding to the inexperienced Timberwolves. This was one of those nights when everything was clicking for New Orleans, and when a team like Minnesota is still trying to find its identity, there is no stopping that Pelicans freight train. Jrue Holiday (24 points, 9 assists) seemed to have a clear path to the hoop all night, Ryan Anderson (16 points, 4-8 on 3-pointers) couldn’t miss from deep and Anthony Davis (22 points, 2 blocks, 2 steals) remained a legitimate MVP candidate. The Unibrow didn’t have an eye-popping stat line–and he didn’t need to with seven guys in double-figures–but he still had a major impact in this one. The Pelicans starting five shot a scorching 32-43 (74.4 percent) from the field while the entire Timberwolves team only shot 40.3 percent. Andrew Wiggins (20 points, 5 rebounds, 7-10 from the field) reached 20 points for the first time this season, but it was obviously overshadowed by the Pelicans dominating performance. With some hobbled and struggling Western conference teams towards the middle of the pack, New Orleans might just have a chance to sneak into the playoffs with their big man leading the way.

Pistons 96 (3-6), Thunder 89 (3-7) OT

The Thunder seemed to be in control of this one through the first two quarters, holding a 48-42 lead with Jeremy Lamb (career-high 24 points, career-high 10 rebounds), Serge Ibaka (19 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks) and Reggie Jackson (20 points, 12 assists) leading the way. They looked good defensively and were forcing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (8 points, 3-10 from the field, 1-6 on 3-pointers) to regress to his inefficient ways. When teams have done that this year, they have a good chance of winning. Being at home against a Pistons team that had lost three games in a row, the Thunder needed this one. But Brandon Jennings (29 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds) had other plans coming out of the locker room after halftime. The electric point guard went off 25 points in the second half and overtime, including eight of Detroit’s 14 points in overtime. Jackson had a clean look at the end of the fourth quarter to give OKC a buzzer-beating win, but he hit back rim. The Pistons ran through Jennings almost every possession late in this one. When Jennings is hitting the deep ball and finding a lane to the left side of the hoop, the crafty lefty becomes a legitimate source of offense. He just needs to find his consistency. Greg Monroe (14 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, +30) was great Friday night, as his team outscored the Thunder by 30 points when he was on the court. For the Thunder, they simply lacked offensive options. After having two efficient games since returning from injury, Anthony Morrow (10 points) did not look good against the Pistons. The 3-point specialist shot 4-15 from the field and 2-9 on 3-pointers.

Hornets 103 (4-5), Suns 95 (5-4)

The first two quarters were filled with huge runs from both teams, as the Suns won the first quarter 28-14 and the Hornets took the second quarter 33-19. But in the second half, Kemba Walker (19 points, 4 assists) scored 12 of his 19 points and Lance Stephenson (13 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals) finished off another well-rounded performance. Even though Born Ready still hasn’t completely settled into his offensive role, he continues to impact the game in more ways than simply scoring. Head coach Steve Clifford decided to give big man Bismack Biyombo (11 points, 10 rebounds, 14 minutes) the bench minutes he has been giving to Jason Maxiell (DNP-CD) up to this point in the season. He was the surprise of the night and finally showed some offensive life in picking up his first double-double since November 1, 2013. There is a reason Charlotte took Biyombo with the seventh pick in the 2011 draft, and he showed a flash of that Friday night. All five Suns starters reached double-figures, with Eric Bledsoe (22 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists) and Marcus Morris (17 points, 7 rebounds) leading the way, but a team with a usually strong bench lacked any punch. The Hornets bench outscored the Suns bench 43-20. Charlotte picked up its first road win with the victory, and the team will stay in California Saturday to take on the Golden State Warriors on the second night of a back-to-back.

Spurs 93 (5-3), Lakers 80 (1-8)

The Lakers scored the first two buckets in building a quick 4-0 lead, and then the game went as expected that point forward. The Spurs built a 29-19 first quarter lead and controlled the game the rest of the way thanks to a double-double from Tim Duncan (13 points, 11 rebounds), who surpassed 25,000 career points on the night. Tony Parker (11 points, 9 assists) and Manu Ginobili (9 points, 8 assists) distributed the ball well, and as a team, the Spurs dished out 28 assists. They have looked much better of late after their rocky start. The Lakers didn’t pass the ball well (17 assists), but the most glaring issue had to be shooting guard Kobe Bryant (9 points, 6 assists, 1-14 from the field), who had one of the worst shooting performances in his 19-year career. Carlos Boozer (19 points, 8 rebounds) and Jeremy Lin (15 points, 4 assists) got their points, but none of them came in any significant manner. The road doesn’t get any easier for L.A. as this one-win team must take on the Warriors, Hawks, Rockets and Mavericks in its next four games.

The then soon-to-be professional ballers Aaron Gordon and Gary Harris sat down with XXL and Magic Shave at the Foot Locker x SLAM Draft Suite to talk grooming and basketball. Although the youngster Gordon says he doesn’t shave much, seeing as he’s only 18, he still had some words to share. See what he and Harris had to say as they got a quick trim.

At 2 years old, Gary Harris had a pair of the Air Jordan XII “Taxi”. You can guess how the former Michigan State guard’s sneaker collection has grown since then. Harris stopped by the Foot Locker x SLAM Draft Suite to talk about what he’s wearing on-court (Nike Zoom HyperRev, Nike Kobe 9 Elite), who he’d like to go one-on-one against (anybody) and who he thinks should go first in the Draft:

The day of the NBA Draft is almost here and it’s the realization of a lifelong dream for the selected. What every player wants is a chance to show what they can do, location of that opportunity lies secondary. It won’t be the best 60 players selected in this Draft as the NBA continues to rate players with potential above players who can play and, most importantly, know how to play.

Look for teams to use this opportunity to trade existing assets to get younger (and cap lighter) as well as to trade down.

Here are the top players in the Draft (it doesn’t mean they will be taken at these picks) in what is one of the deepest draft boards in years.

When the Spartans and Cavaliers square off on Friday night, it will be a matchup between a team that has been there before and one that many never thought would make it this far. What head coach Tony Bennett has done with Virginia’s program has been nothing short of amazing. In five years, Bennett has taken a school that routinely finished in the cellar of the ACC to an ACC championship that included wins over Syracuse, Duke and a 16-2 conference record.

On the other end is Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo. The long-time coach is a legend in his own right and continues to put together one of the top teams in the country thanks to consistency and a brilliant basketball mind. After battling injuries throughout the season, the Spartans stormed through the Big Ten tournament and captured a championship. No senior class under Tom Izzo has failed to make the Final Four and with multiple seniors on this year’s roster who are yet to earn the touted accomplishment, the stakes are as high as they have ever been for Michigan State.

Despite the No. 1 seed, the Cavaliers are playing the underdog role while the Spartans looked primed to head to the Elite Eight and eventually to the Final Four. SLAM caught up with players and coaches from each team to get their thoughts on the game…

On Michigan State’s health and current play…

Tom Izzo: I don’t think we’re quite back to where we were, because Appling was so good early in the year. His first 20 games, he was a Player of the Year candidate in our league. And then the wrist got worse and worse and worse, and it’s kind of a critical position, although he’s making some progress. But I do think we have taken giant steps in the last two and a half weeks. We got our guys back, especially Dawson and Payne, Appling about three weeks ago roughly, and we made some progress each week.

I thought we did play awfully well in the Big Ten tournament and I thought we played well in Spokane. Other than a seven minute [stretch], but I think you got to give Harvard credit; they were good and they did some good things in a stretch, and we did some poor things.

Are we back to the team we were to start the season? Probably not, but are we as close as we have been all year? Definitely.

Branden Dawson: I think we were dealing with a lot of adversity and injuries. But now we have all our key players back, we are looking better as a team, and our chemistry is great, and I think our rhythm is great, and we’re just happy to be on the floor with each other.

Keith Appling: It was definitely hard. A lot of the key players were in and out of the lineup, and it made it tough for us to get a rhythm and develop somewhat of a rotation. So now that we are all back and getting our flow together, I mean things are working out well for us.

On Michigan State’s senior class getting to the Final Four…

Tom Izzo: This year’s team, we have been through so much, so much, that I really didn’t need that burden put on them. So I didn’t really talk about it much, except to say that getting to the Final Four is—if you got those couple of things in your life that are important, you know, the birth of your children and without being ridiculous, I mean a Final Four is a Final Four. If you’re in this profession, there is nothing better. And I just want all my guys to have a chance to share in at least once.

Keith Appling: It is definitely nothing that we can just put on the shelf. It’s Adreian and I’s last year. There’s no tomorrow for us, but we just try to take it one game at a time because in this Tournament, if you overlook one team, that’s how upsets happen. So we just try and take it one game at a time and control the things that we can control, and hopefully it will end up good for us.

Adreian Payne: I definitely think about it all the time, for sure, I pray about it every night. It’s something that’s not being overlooked, especially because we practice, we got banners hanging up in the practice facilities. So we always know it’s right there and it’s always on our mind, no matter what.

On the matchup with Virginia…

Tom Izzo: [Joe] Harris is a hell of a player and their [London Perrantes] is a very efficient freshman. The [Justin] Anderson kid who comes in can really do some things. They got tremendous size, I think. You’re bringing in 6-6 to 6-8 guys on the perimeter so I think they’re more athletic than they look. I think they will run a little more than we think, and I think they’re great on the dribble‑drive. They can get into the paint or to the baseline very well. I think they get under‑respected offensively because they’re so good defensively.

Keith Appling: They’re a great defensive team. We’re just going to try to have to try to find easy ways to get baskets. They guard very tough in the half court, so it’s just a matter of us getting steals and getting out on the break and getting easy ones, because that’s what it’s all going to come down to.

Gary Harris: It’s definitely all going to start on the defensive end because it’s kind of hard to run and get out in transition when they’re scoring every time. We’re just going to have to depend on our defense to help us get out going in transition.

Virginia

On matching up with Michigan State…

Joe Harris: They’re not an overly pressure‑oriented defensive team, they keep guys in front, they play very good help defense but they collapse on the ball quite a bit whenever you try and get any dribble drives or penetration. We’re not going to change up anything that we do offensively. We have no new sets, nothing like that. What we have done to get us to this point has worked up to this time, and there’s nothing new or nothing changes for us.

Akil Mitchell: One of our keys all year has been to make sure we limit transition points, and it’s something we focused on against Memphis was getting back in transition. It will be something that we have to focus in on again, getting the ball stopped, keeping them out of the paint, and then making them play against a set defense.

[Adreian Payne] has been a tough matchup for teams all year because he can stretch the floor, he’s got good touch and he can also put the ball on the floor and post-up also. He’ll be a good matchup for us, but I think we’ll be prepared.

On Virginia’s mentality heading into the game…

Tony Bennett: We have an underdog mentality but we have to have a hungry mentality. I think our guys, they have been steady all year since we have gotten into conference play. I think that they know what’s in front of them, and again it’s not changing anything, it’s just doing it probably a little bit better.

But they’re hungry to play and who wouldn’t be in the Sweet 16? I mean, I’ve been fortunate enough to be here twice now as a head coach and as to a part of staffs a few times. The NCAA Tournament is the greatest sporting event going, in my opinion, being biased, of course, but every round you advance to you just feel the excitement, you feel the intensity and you get to step into this and that’s—whether you’re talking about seeding, underdog, you just got to be hungry and ready, and that’s what we’re going to find out.

With all respect due to ACC champs and No. 1 seed Virginia, the Spartans are finally healthy and are the team most poised to make a run to the Final Four. No senior class under Tom Izzo has failed to make the Final Four, and the graduating class of 2014 certainly won’t be the first. The Spartans are loaded with talent at every position and stormed through the Big Ten tournament en route to the Conference Championship where they defeated in-state rival Michigan for the first time this season. Michigan State was seeded much too low at four and are in the weakest region. Big 12 Champ Iowa State certainly poses a formidable foe if the two meet in the Elite Eight but the Spartans should survive and advance.

Sleeper: No. 10 St. Joseph’s

Led by big man Halil Kanacevic, who averages 10.7 points, 8.8 boards and 4.4 assists, and head coach Phil Martelli, St. Joe’s has won 20 of its last 25 games and surprised everyone by upsetting VCU and winning the tough A-10 Conference. The Hawks drew UConn in its second round matchup and if they can beat the Huskies, will likely face Villanova, setting up a great rivalry game early on in the Tournament. St. Joe’s is a balanced, battle-tested, rugged team who can hang with anyone in the East.

Providence is riding high after winning the Big East Tournament and senior guard Bryce Cotton is playing as well as anyone in the country. Head coach Ed Cooley has done a tremendous job with the program and the Friars are making their first tournament appearance in 10 years. The Friars have little depth but the combination of LaDontae Henton, Tyler Harris and Kadeem Batts up front cause a lot of matchup problems due to their length and defensive ability. The Tar Heels have been inconsistent all season and are a vulnerable team, especially if Cotton gets hot.

Head coach Tommy Amaker has done a fantastic job rebuilding the Crimson program—which we wrote about at length in SLAM 175—and Harvard is upset-minded for the second straight season. Five different Crimson players score in double-figures and the Ivy League Champs have Tournament experience after last year’s second round win. Cincinnati is one of the top defensive teams in the nation and are lead by guard Sean Kilpatrick, who is also the team’s lone scoring threat. The game will likely be a slow-paced, grind it out affair which favors Cincy. But if the Crimson can slow down Kilpatrick, Amaker’s team has a great chance of advancing for the second straight season.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Marcus Paige, G, North Carolina

The Bryce Cotton-Marcus Paige matchup may be the best head-to-head battle to keep an eye on in the “opening” round. Paige really blossomed toward the end of the season and has been awesome during the second half of game, doing most of his damage during crunch time. The sophomore guard is averaging 17.4 points, 3.3 boards and 4.3 assists per game and will need to put together full 40-minute performances to give the Tar Heels a chance at a deep run.

Sean Kilpatrick, G, Cincy

A gifted scorer hailing from Westchester, NY, Kilpatrick averaged 20.7 points per game during the season and may be as important to his teams successes as any player in the country. A tough-minded defensive team, the Bearcats have a chance to make a run if the senior is able to score at his usual rate.

The sophomore guard is the Spartans’ best offensive player and looking to improve his draft stock with a few big games. The sweet-shooting Harris can hit from long range and is strong enough to get the rack and finish at the rim. Harris battled injuries during his freshman season but came back strong his sophomore year to average 17.1 points, 4.2 boards and 2.7 assists per game.

Bryce Cotton, G, Providence

Bryce Cotton is college basketball’s ironman. Thanks to multiple double-overtime games this season, Cotton averaged 40 minutes per game on the season and finally got his due shine when he won the Big East Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player award. The senior is one of the most versatile players in the NCAA; after leading the Big East in scoring last season, Cotton played more on ball this season due to injuries and led the Big East in assists.

Melvin Ejim, F, Iowa State

The senior forward averaged 18.1 points, 8.5 boards and 1.8 assists per game while leading the Cyclones to the Big 12 Championship and took home Big 12 Player of the Year. If the Cyclones are to make a run to the Final Four—which they are more than capable of doing—it will be because of the play of Ejim.

PREDICTION

Michigan State outlasts Iowa State in an epic Elite Eight matchup at the Garden to advance to North Texas.

Gary Harris didn’t spend his childhood afternoons scraping his knees on the blacktop playing with the other kids. Instead, he faced a much more formidable foe during after-school pickup games: his mother, Joy Holmes-Harris. A former WNBA player, Holmes-Harris taught her son at a young age through backyard one-on-one games and trips to Auburn Hills, MI, where Holmes-Harris practiced and played with the Detroit Shock (averaging 3.1 ppg for her career).

Based on the 19-year-old’s stats so far this season for the top-ten-ranked Michigan State Spartans—a team-high 18.4 ppg to go along with 4.7 boards and 2.4 dimes—it’s obvious that mother knew best. “We stopped playing when I got older, but I’ve always been around the game [because of my mom],” says Harris. “I grew up with a love for the game, and it’s easy when you can go out there and play just for the love, and that’s what I do.”

After being named Big Ten Freshman of the Year this past spring, Harris flirted with the Draft. Ultimately, though, he decided to return to East Lansing to mature both physically and mentally, and prove that a shoulder injury that hampered him as a freshman was no longer an issue.

“Being able to play with the team we had coming back was a great opportunity,” says Harris. “We have high expectations, it wasn’t something I wanted to miss out on. Taking that jump [to the NBA] comes with a lot of responsibility, so I thought ‘Am I ready? Am I mature enough?’ Eighteen years old and being ready for that is a lot, so I came back another year to mature.”

All injury concerns were quelled when Harris dropped a smooth 20 points against Kentucky in the second game of his sophomore season. With the extreme hype around Kentucky in the days leading up to the game, Harris reminded the country that the experienced Spartans are still a force to be reckoned with.

“All we care about is winning and doing what we have to do as a team each and every night,” says Harris. “Those freshmen deserve it, they’re talented players, but that’s not our focus. We’re not focused on them, we’re focused on us.”

It’s weird to say that a team with the history and tradition of North Carolina upset anyone, but on Wednesday night in East Lansing, the unranked Tar Heels took down the No. 1 team in the country, Michigan State, 79-65.

The game was one of the night’s marquee contests in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, and was the second time in three games that North Carolina took down a top-three team, as Roy Williams & Co. beat then-third ranked Louisville last Sunday.

As for the Spartans, their 1-2 punch of Adreian Payne and Gary Harris had their usual big games, with Payne going for 16 points and 8 rebounds while Harris had 17 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists. However, those two, along with Keith Appling (13 points), were the only Spartan players to register double-digit scoring.

North Carolina came out hot, and led the Spartans by as many as 12 points during the first half. While Michigan State was able to fight back, the Spartans were unable to take the lead from the Tar Heels, and UNC was able to knock off the No. 1 team in America with a wire-to-wire victory.

The tournament’s first game was fantastic, and featured a matchup of the country’s top two teams for the first time since 2008. Like in ’08, the No. 2 team defeated the John Calipari-led No. 1 team on Tuesday night in what will go down as one of college basketball’s best games of the season.

The Spartans were led by its dynamic backcourt of Keith Appling and Gary Harris. The duo combined for 42 points, 10 rebounds, 9 assists and 7 steals, and constantly frustrated Kentucky’s inexperienced guards. Michigan State jumped out to an early 10-0 lead and never looked back, despite Kentucky fighting valiantly, particularly star freshman Julius Randle. The Dallas native showed why he’s a contender to be the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft with a 27-point, 13-rebound performance.

While the Wildcats were able to make things very interesting, even tying the game with 4:48 left to go, they were unable to overcome their early deficit, and by the time the polls are released next week, Michigan State will almost certainly be the No. 1 team in America.

The second game of the night was just as wild, with Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker both exploding onto the national scene. While Parker had the better night—he had 27 points and 9 rebounds compared to 22 points and 8 rebounds for Wiggins—it was Wiggins’ Jayhawks coming away with the win.

The game was much closer than the score indicated. Much of the game was spent with neither team leading by more than five points until the very end, when Duke needed to start fouling in an attempt to keep the game close. However, behind Wiggins and a 24-point, 9-rebound performance from sophomore forward Perry Ellis, the Jayhawks came out on top.

Both games were fantastic, and college basketball fans should cross their fingers that we see these teams cross paths again sometime later this season.

It’s not often that college basketball has its marquee night during the season’s first week, but due to State Farm Champions Classic in Chicago, four of the top five teams in America will play tonight. No. 1 Kentucky (2-0) will take on No. 2 Michigan State (1-0) at 7:30 p.m., followed by No. 4 Duke (1-0) vs. No. 5 Kansas (1-0) at 9:30 p.m.

The first matchup will be the first time February 24, 2008, when No. 2 Tennessee defeated No. 1 Memphis, who was ironically coached by Kentucky head man John Calipari, 66-62. The two teams haven’t played since 2005, when Michigan State knocked Kentucky out of the NCAA Tournament, 94-88 in two overtimes.

Beyond the fact that John Calipari vs. Tom Izzo could be college basketball’s best coaching matchup this year, it’s quite possible that we’re seeing several future NBA All-Stars in this game. Michigan State’s Adreian Payne and Gary Harris will almost certainly play in the League next year, while Kentucky has its usual bevy of freshmen NBA prospects, headlined by potential top-three pick Julius Randle, James Young, Andrew Harrison and Aaron Harrison.

Both teams have been dominant so far this season. Kentucky has trounced UNC-Asheville and Northern Kentucky, 89-57 and 93-63, respectively. The Wildcats are led by Randle, who has been a monster this year, averaging a team-high 22.5 points and 14.5 rebounds per game. As for the Spartans, they looked fantastic in their matchup with McNeese State, winning 98-56 behind 20 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists from Harris.

The night’s second game features another marquee coaching matchup, with Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski facing off against Kansas’s Bill Self. However, all eyes are on the matchup between two freshmen who have been both labeled as (possibly) the next LeBron James—Duke’s Jabari Parker and Kansas’ Andrew Wiggins.

Parker, a 6-8 forward from Chicago, shined in Duke’s 111-77 obliteration of Davidson on Friday night, putting up 22 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists on 80 percent shooting for the Blue Devils. Wiggins, a 6-7 guard from Ontario, wasn’t as impressive in the Jayhawks’ 80-63 victory over Louisiana-Monroe, but he did put up a very respectable 16 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists.

The two teams haven’t played since November 23, 2011 at the Maui Invitational. Duke, led by 17 points from both Ryan Kelly and Mason Plumlee, overcame a double-double from Thomas Robinson to defeat the Jayhawks, 68-61.

Tonight will almost certainly shape the course of the rest of the college basketball season, and could possibly have an impact on the 2014 NBA Draft. Get ready, because tonight is one of college basketball’s biggest regular-season nights of all time.

]]>http://www.slamonline.com/news-rumors/other-news/kentucky-michigan-state-and-duke-kansas-to-face-off-in-chicago-tonight/feed/12SLAMonlineMichigan State’s Gary Harris Working His Way Back to Full Healthhttp://www.slamonline.com/news-rumors/other-news/michigan-states-gary-harris-working-his-way-back-to-full-health/
http://www.slamonline.com/news-rumors/other-news/michigan-states-gary-harris-working-his-way-back-to-full-health/#commentsMon, 07 Oct 2013 18:37:42 +0000http://www.slamonline.com/online/?p=290631

One of the best point guards in the Big Ten is working his way back from an offseason ankle injury and expects to be cleared to practice next week.

Gary Harris, the star sophomore shooting guard for the Michigan State Spartans, is returning after the ankle injury kept him limited for the last few weeks, and he told ESPN that he’s “about 75 percent” and would play if there was a game right now.

Harris suffered the ankle injury when he came down awkwardly on his right foot while attempting to block a shot on Aug. 30.

“I was lucky,” he said. “I thought it was worse than it wound up being.”

Harris is one of four returning starters for the Spartans, who are likely to open the 2013-14 season in the top five of most polls. The 6-4 Indiana native averaged 12.9 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game while shooting 41.1 percent from downtown for the Spartans, whose 27-win season ended last year in the Sweet 16.

With the college basketball season right around the corner, here are some impact freshmen to keep an eye on. This isn’t an all-encompassing list of the best newcomers in the NCAA; still, each of the following players is an elite talent who will play an integral role in their team’s success this season.

Nerlens Noel, Kentucky

Pegged as Anthony Davis’ replacement, Noel will have big shoes to fill in Lexington. Lofty expectations, sure, but not unwarranted. At 6-11 with a 7-4 wingspan, Noel is an exceptional shot blocker and, like Davis, will probably be the biggest defensive presence in college basketball.

His highlight-reel dunks and blocks will be the focal point of media attention, but there’s more to Noel’s game than just athleticism and transition play. Exceptional defensive instincts and mobility allow Noel to seamlessly help and recover, and because he’s playing on a team loaded with talent, his underrated passing skills will have a chance to shine. If Noel continues to fill out his wiry frame and can still maintain his mobility, offensive progress should come. Noel is a candidate to win National Freshman of the Year and, naturally, be a top-five pick next June.

Archie Goodwin, Kentucky

While Noel may be the center of attention in Lexington, Archie Goodwin could play a more integral role in the team’s success this season. Goodwin, who is regarded as the best player from Arkansas since Joe Johnson, is expected to shoulder the majority of the scoring load.

At 6-5 (and still growing), Goodwin is a long combo-guard with a smooth handle, pure jumpshot and tremendous athleticism. He flourishes in transition, as he uses excellent speed to get ahead of the defense and is among the best finishers in the country.

Sources close to the Wildcats recently told me that Goodwin, through exhaustive work in the gym and weight room this summer, has improved faster than the coaching staff expected, and now Goodwin has a legitimate chance to be one-and-done. Archie is one of those guys who embraces the spotlight and thrives in crunch time, and he will have several opportunities to do so this season.

Shabazz Muhammad, UCLA

Although his eligibility is still undecided, Muhammad is too good to leave off this list. He is a special talent with uncanny scoring ability and explosiveness. Thought as the best player in the freshman class, the lefty is virtually unstoppable when he attacks the basket. He can face-up, shoot from deep, is lethal in transition and has a never-ending motor. Muhammad is a very strong defender, and when he has it going, he has the talent to dominate whomever is guarding him. If he is cleared to play this season, UCLA will have a legitimate chance to compete for a National Championship.

Grant Jerrett, Arizona

On a Wildcats team bringing in arguably its best recruiting class ever—Jerrett, Brandon Ashley, Kaleb Tarczewski and Gabe York—Jerrett is best prepared to play right away.

A 6-10, 220-pound stretch-4, Jerrett should make an immediate impact for the Wildcats. He’s a lanky player with great touch around the basket and range out near the three-point line. Jerrett is not an elite athlete, but with a very high basketball IQ and a crafty arsenal of moves, he’s shown enough to earn a starting spot in Sean Miller’s rotation. Considering his already-polished face up game and his ability to score with both hands, if he can put on some weight to bang down low, Jerrett will be one of the best players in the country.

Anthony Bennett, UNLV

The Canadian big man sent shockwaves throughout college basketball when he chose UNLV over a plethora of big-name programs. At 6-8, Bennett should be the ultimate compliment to Mike Moser in Vegas. He’s equal parts power and finesse, with the ability to bang down low and also torch from outdoors. Bennett is very explosive and has an extra burst that allows him to finish through contact. He’s matchup nightmare, with a quick first step to get around bigger defenders and the size to back down smaller ones. Potentially a future lottery pick, Bennett is a double-double machine whose game is beautiful to watch.

Marcus Smart, Oklahoma State

For all intents and purposes, Oklahoma State is Smart’s team. The 6-4 point guard arrives on campus with a great deal of hype, as he spurned schools such as Kansas, North Carolina and Texas to play in Stillwater. Smart is interchangeable on the wing, although he will most probably see the majority of his minutes at point guard, where he’s almost always a mismatch. He’s a strong, explosive talent who constantly attacks the defense and loves to get physical. Defensively, he digs in and takes serious pride in stopping his opponent. Smart should be an all-league player in the Big 12, and paired with former McDonald’s All-American Le’Bryan Nash, he’ll try to bring the Cowboys back to relevance.

Omar Calhoun, UConn

With all the hoopla surrounding college basketball right now, people continue to sleep on Omar Calhoun. A 6-3 combo guard from Brooklyn’s Christ the King High School, Calhoun—a former New York State Gatorade Player of the Year—is arguably the best freshman scorer in the country.

What makes Calhoun special is the efficient manner in which he scores—not in terms of shooting percentage, but in terms of how he approaches the game. Equipped with great instincts and a complete skill set, Calhoun can score 20 or 25 points while playing within the constraints of an offense and letting the game come to him. He has a commanding handle, can pull-up and step-back on his jumpshot, and has a strong frame to take on bigger defenders at the rim. Calhoun scored 44 points in UConn’s two exhibition games, earning him a spot in the starting lineup.

On defense, Calhoun is a tenacious defender who takes the game personally. He’s a warrior, always giving 110 percent and leaving it all out on the floor, which perfectly fits the culture Kevin Ollie is trying to establish. With a freshman year to get acclimated to the Big East, Calhoun will be ready to lead the Huskies when they are again eligible for postseason play.

Gary Harris, Michigan State

Harris, who turned 18 in September, has a chance to be a star in the Big Ten. A defensive monster, Tom Izzo recently said Harris is “one of the best defensive guards I’ve had since Charlie Bell,” and called Harris “one of the smartest players I’ve ever coached.” Not too shabby.

A 6-4 shooting guard, Harris can create his shot off the dribble, and is an adept slasher. He has soft touch on his jumper and constantly puts pressure on the defense, as he loves to attack the rim. With broad shoulders and a big frame, Harris is an all-around force. The backcourt of Harris and Keith Appling will be one of the most aggressive in the country.

Dominic Artis, Oregon

In a loaded Pac-12, the Ducks are relying on Artis to be their floor general and lead the team back near the top of the conference. Head Coach Dana Altman has handed Artis the keys to the team, hoping the former Findlay Prep standout will help end a four-year NCAA Tournament drought.

Although he is only 6-foot, Artis has the tools to be an elite point guard. He possesses a tight handle, reliable floater and three-point shot. He’s been in the weight room all summer, which enables him to do work once he gets in the paint. Constantly overlooked—literally and figuratively—because of his size, Artis has an immense chip on his shoulder, and a certain Oakland toughness that has carried him to this point. As the season progresses, he should emerge as one of the best young players in the Pac-12.

Kyle Anderson, UCLA

Anderson is one of the most unique players in college basketball. A 6-9 point forward, the UCLA freshman can play all three perimeter positions. With elite court vision, ball-handling skills and an ahead-of-his-time feel for the game, he thrives on setting up his teammates. He’s a matchup nightmare on both ends because he can score from anywhere, and at 6-9 he towers over most point guards. Anderson’s not the most athletic player in terms of jumping ability, but he plays under control—in high school, Anderson was dubbed “Zero Miles Per Hour” because of his slow-and-steady approach—and he can set, and dominate, the tempo of a game.

The basketball world got its first look at Michigan State on Tuesday night as the Spartans defeated Northwood, 85-57, in an exhibition game.

In a rarity for preseason college basketball, the matchup pitted two NCAA title-winning coaches, Tom Izzo and Rollie Massimino, against each other.

Despite the wide margin, Izzo believes his team needs to improve in many areas.

“It’s not going to just come over night,” Izzo said. “The leadership is going to take some time. It’s going to be a work in progress, but I like some pieces.”

Against Northwood, the Spartans showed off their two biggest strengths—depth and defense. Five of Izzo’s players reached double-figures in scoring, and Michigan State held Northwood to 30 percent shooting.

For Michigan State, the biggest storyline coming in is how they will replace Draymond Green. The former Spartan was a leader and elite offensive and defensive player.

At the team’s media day, Izzo suggested that many players would need to fill Green’s shoes.

The first five of those players on Tuesday were Derrick Nix, Keith Appling, Adreian Payne, Branden Dawson and Gary Harris, who made up the team’s starting lineup.

The lineup is pretty much how the Spartan faithful expected, with the exception of Harris. As a true freshman, Harris enters the season with a lot of hype after winning Mr. Basketball in Indiana.

His defensive skills are far beyond that of most freshmen and are likely what got Harris into the starting lineup. But on Tuesday, his offensive game shone bright. He finished with 14 points.

“He just fit,” Izzo said. “Unlike a lot of our other guys, he did what he could do. As a freshman, he guarded very well.”

Defense should not be a problem for the Spartans. With Nix and Payne, both at least 6-9, down low, post defense is one of the team’s strengths. Harris, Appling and Dawson give Izzo three tough-mined perimeter players as well.

Offense is a different story. Green was by far the team’s most consistent scorer last season, and as Michigan State enters the season, it’s unclear who the team’s go-to scorer will be.

Branden Dawson auditioned for that role from the opening tip against Northwood. He scored the first 6 points, including a dunk to open the game. That particular play was noteworthy because Dawson is coming off of ACL surgery.

While Dawson averaged just 8.4 points per game last season as a freshman, he had a stretch in the middle of Big Ten play when he hit double figures in scoring for five straight games. His 16 points led all scorers on Tuesday.

“He helped us to that big lead because he made some plays,” Izzo said.

One thing that Izzo said his team would do this season perhaps more than ever was run, and on Tuesday, that’s just what they did. The Spartans had 29 points on the fast break in the victory.

The Spartans will get another tune-up when they play St. Cloud State on Friday.

Twenty-four players have accepted invitations to attend the 2012 USA Basketball Men’s U18 National Team Training camp June 5-12 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center (USOTC) in Colorado Springs, Colo., including one player with college experience and three players who represented the USA in the 2012 Nike Hoop Summit. The USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team committee issued the player invitations.

The 2012 USA U18 National Team will be led by a trio of experienced and successful college coaches at the FIBA Americas U18 Championship, including Billy Donovan (University of Florida) as head coach, with Mark Few (Gonzaga University) and Shaka Smart (Virginia Commonwealth University) as assistant coaches.

“It will be important to learn to play together as a team in a short amount of time,” Donovan said. “We need to demonstrate great focus and teamwork and bring a high level of energy and effort every day in order to have success both in training camp and throughout the competition.”

Following the first three or four days of training camp from June 5-12 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center (USOTC) in Colorado Springs, Colo., finalist for the team will be selected by the USA Men’s Junior National Team Committee and will continue to train at the USOTC.

“We have a very talented group of young players that will have a great chance of bringing home a gold medal in the FIBA Americas U18 Championship,” said Jim Boeheim, Syracuse University and Hall of Fame coach and chair of the USA Junior National Team Committee. “As is the case each year, our USA Team will be up against the best players in their age group in the world. They will face great competition from the other participating countries.”

The official, 12-member 2012 USA Men’s U18 National Team will be selected prior to the team’s departure for the 2012 FIBA Americas U18 Championship, which will be played June 16-20 in Sao Sebastiáo do Paraiso, Brazil. Players eligible for this competition must have been born on or after Jan. 1, 1994.

The players represent 15 states, including five from Texas; three from Maryland; two from California, Georgia and North Carolina; along with one player each from Connecticut, Florida, Iowa, Indiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and Wisconsin.

In addition to rising college sophomore Stokes, who listed on the 2011-12 Southeastern Conference All-Freshman team, the training camp roster includes 17 high school seniors set to graduate in 2012 and six prep athletes from the Class of 2013.

One set of twins, Aaron and Andrew Harrison, play together at Travis High School (Texas), while Grant and Robinson both attend DeMatha Catholic High School (Maryland).

Smart (Texas) took home his second-consecutive Gatorade State Player of the Year honor in 2012; while Dekker (Wis.), Dunn (Conn.), Harris (Ind.) and Purvis (N.C.) were named their state’s 2012 Gatorade State Player of the Year; and Britt (D.C.) earned the honor in 2011.

Playing in the McDonald’s All-America Game was 3-point shootout champion Sulaimon, along with Dunn, Harris, Pollard, Purvis and Smart. The Jordan Brand Classic featured Dunn, Grant, Harris, Purvis and Sulaimon.

Eight teams will compete in the 2012 U18 zone qualifier, including the USA, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Columbia, Mexico, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands. The top four finishing teams in the tournament will qualify for next summer’s 2013 FIBA U19 World Championship.

In addition to chair Boeheim, the USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team Committee includes NCAA appointees Lorenzo Romar (University of Washington), Bruce Weber (Kansas State University) and Roy Williams (University of North Carolina), as well as athlete representative Jay Williams (2002 USA World Championship Team).

About USA Basketball

Based in Colorado Springs, Colo., USA Basketball is a nonprofit organization and the national governing body for men’s and women’s basketball in the United States. As the recognized governing body for basketball in the United States by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), USA Basketball is responsible for the selection, training and fielding of USA teams that compete in FIBA sponsored international basketball competitions, as well as for some national competitions.

Since 2008, USA Basketball men’s and women’s teams have compiled a sterling 134-6 win-loss record in FIBA or FIBA Americas competitions. USA teams are the current men’s and women’s champions of the Olympics and FIBA World Championship; FIBA women’s U19 world champions; the men’s and women’s title holders for the FIBA U17 World Championship; and the men’s and women’s U18 and U16 FIBA Americas champions. USA Basketball currently ranks No. 1 in all five of FIBA’s world ranking categories, including combined, men’s, women’s, boys and girls.

The talented-packed US roster for the Nike Hoop Summit was announced earlier this week. Although we’re a couple of days late, nonetheless, we figured this roster is worthy of your attention. From our friends at USA Basketball:

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (March 6, 2012) — Featuring 10 elite high school seniors, USA Basketball today named the roster for the 2012 USA Junior National Select Team, which will take on the World Select Team in the 2012 Nike Hoop Summit.

Played at 7:00 p.m. (PDT) on Saturday, April 7 at the Rose Garden in Portland, Ore., the 15th annual Nike Hoop Summit will be broadcast nationally by Fox Sports Net and its regional affiliates.
The Nike Hoop Summit is the country’s premier annual basketball game for high-school boys and features America’s top seniors playing against a World Team comprised of international players who are 19-years-old or younger.

“Both teams are in a similar situation in this game,” said USA head coach Kevin Boyle (Montverde Academy, Fla.). “The World Team also will have just a handful of practices to come together. Some of our players have played together and played international basketball and some have not. We are going to try and develop our chemistry and our rotation quickly and get our guys to understand their roles. It’s not an all-star game, and we will be playing to win. Not everyone will have the same amount of shots or minutes. It will be whoever is most deserving based on practices and preparation.”

The U.S. assistant coach will be Mike Jones (DeMatha High School, Md.), who also serves as a 2011-12 USA Men’s Developmental National Team assistant coach. In 2011, Jones helped the USA to a gold medal at the FIBA Americas U16 Championship, and he will be on the U.S. sideline at the 2012 FIBA U17 World Championship.

Tickets for the 15th annual Nike Hoop Summit are now on sale. General admission is $5 in advance and $10 on game day, and reserved courtside seats are $25 and $50. Tickets can be purchased through the Rose Quarter Ticket Office at 877-789-ROSE (7673), by visiting rosequarter.com or at nikehoopsummit.com.

Just two players, Anderson and Parker, come to the team with prior USA Basketball experience. Parker is a two-time gold medalist with USA Basketball, including a 5-0 record in the 2009 FIBA Americas U16 Championship, and an 8-0 record at the 2010 FIBA U17 World Championship. He averaged 3.9 points and 2.9 rebounds per game for the USA in 2010 and 8.2 points and 6.6 rebounds per game in 2009.

Alongside Parker, Anderson also participated in the 2009-10 USA Men’s Developmental National Team’s first mini-camp in October of 2009, a U16 training camp in June 2009 and a U17 training camp in June 2010.

Seven U.S. team members have signed a National Letter of Intent for the 2012-13 NCAA season. Anderson will play at UCLA, Goodwin will go to Kentucky, Harris is headed to Michigan State, McGary signed with Michigan, Paige committed to North Carolina, Tarczewski will go to Arizona and Sulaimon will play at Duke. Muhammed, Noel and Parker are undecided about where they will attend college.

All 10 players rank among the nation’s top 50 boys basketball players.

The state of Indiana runs its basketball playoffs in a relatively odd way. Not only does the IHSAA (Indiana High School Athletic Association) not seed the teams based on regular-season records, the first-round matchups are a blind draw. So in theory, the IHSAA could have a scheduling nightmare on its hands if the top-two teams in the state are in the same regional and draw each other in the first round.

Well, you guessed it, arguably the number one and number two teams in the state of Indiana drew each other in the very first round of the tournament. Winner moves on, loser packs their bags. One of the two best teams in the entire state will be out of the playoffs. After the first round of games. Before March 1.

In a game sporting a state championship-esque atmosphere with a sold-out crowd of over 4,000 fans (a parent in attendance told me he saw people scalping tickets. Yes, this is a high school game. Only in Indiana…), Michigan State commit Gary Harris sealed his fate in the Indiana record books and positioned himself nicely with the Indiana Mr. Basketball voters with a half-court buzzer beater to put Hamilton Southeastern over North Central, 86-83. Harris finished with a game high 34 points, 31 of which came after halftime. Jacobby Bledsoe added 21 for Hamilton Southeastern, and Iowa commit Patrick Ingram netted 21 to lead North Central.

As his future Spartans fell to Indiana, the in-state school almost every person in his hometown adores, his shot made its way to the No. 1 play on SportsCenter. “Gary Harris” became a trending topic throughout the United States on Twitter. Think this kid is on cloud nine right about now? I’d say so…

If you’re a fan of high school basketball, today is a great day! Why? Because our good friends at the Jordan Brand Classic unveiled the 2012 roster moments ago.

Enjoy the JBC news and rosters (posted below, via official release) and remember that we’ll have you covered for all the Jordan Brand Classic news you’ll need between now and when the game tips off on April 14.

CHARLOTTE, NC (February 2, 2012) – Following in the shoes of Jordan Brand Classic alumni Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony,LeBron James,Kevin Durant and Blake Griffin, the next generation of basketball’s brightest stars will take the floor in the 11th annual Jordan Brand Classic at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte on Saturday, April 14th. The Jordan Brand Classic will be nationally televised live on ESPN.

The Jordan Brand Classic event will also include a Regional Game, showcasing the top prep players from the state of North Carolina in an East vs. West showdown and the fifth annual International Game featuring 16 of the top 17-and-under players from around the world. Two of th

e top five picks in last year’s NBA Draft included International game alums Enes Kanter (Turkey) and Jonas Valančiūnas (Lithuania).

The tripleheader will begin with the International Game at 2:30 PM followed by the Regional Game at 4:30 PM, and the All-American Game at 7:00 PM. The International and regional rosters will be announced at a later date.

“For over 10 years, the Jordan Brand Classic has featured some of the game’s greatest players and intense action,” said Keith Houlemard, President of Jordan Brand. “We are thrilled once again to host these incredible players at Charlotte’s Time Warner Cable Arena and in front of millions of people tuning in on ESPN.”

Tickets for the Jordan Brand Classic are now on sale at all Ticketmaster locations, the Time Warner Cable box office, online at ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000. For more information, visit the official web site, www.JordanBrandClassic.com or follow the JBC on Twitter @JordanClassic.

The top recruit in the state of Indiana added to an already successful recruiting day for Michigan State on Wednesday, where three top-100 seniors signed letter of intents to join the Spartans next fall, by giving a verbal commitment to head coach Tom Izzo. Gary Harris, a highly touted shooting guard out of Hamilton Southeastern High School, chose MSU over Indiana, Purdue and Kentucky. From the Indianapolis Star: “Gary Harris is going green. The coveted Hamilton Southeastern High School senior guard committed to Michigan State on Wednesday night, the culmination of a long and intense recruitment that included Indiana, Kentucky and Purdue among his finalists. While most of his peers in the 2012 class had committed long before national signing day on Wednesday, Harris took a more methodical approach. He sat down with his family and high school coach, Brian Satterfield, on Tuesday night to discuss the decision. “(Michigan State) recruited me for a long time,” Harris said. “I liked the whole family atmosphere up there. I feel like I’m a part of them. It was a great environment and once I got around the players, I was really comfortable.” The 6-4 Harris, who averaged 18.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.8 steals as a junior, took official visits to all four of his finalists, including Michigan State last weekend. The Spartans had been involved with Harris, who is ranked No. 12 nationally in the 2012 class by Scout.com, in the recruiting process since his freshman year.”